Access Bank employees support child care in B/A

Volunteering employees at Access Bank Ghana from Accra and Techiman have brought relief to orphaned children and parents with premature babies in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The employees, numbering more than 60, contributed their resources, time and energy to support the Presbyterian Hospital and Frank May New Life Orphanage at Dormaa Ahenkro and Deasempa.

The Dormaa Presbyterian Hospital received four incubators to help the Paediatric Unit of the hospital attend to the increased numbers of preterm babies who die as a result of inadequate equipment to cater for them.

The hospital’s dire situation came to the attention of the employees through a publication in the media a few months ago. The volunteering group contributed and purchased incubators as part of efforts to reduce infant mortality in Ghana.

Receiving the incubators on behalf of the hospital, the Resident Paediatrician, Dr Adoma Dwomo Fokuo, recounted how the hospital constructed improvised incubators with the assistance of local carpenters to ensure the survival of preterm babies.

She added that: “This is a timely intervention by Access Bank employees. Now we are more motivated to do everything within our means to save the lives of preterm babies.”

At the Frank May Life Orphanage, another volunteering group of the Bank also helped to repaint and give a facelift to the institution which caters for orphaned children and those abandoned by their families.

The members donated items such as louver blades, plastic chairs and tables, mattresses and a Multi TV Decoder to help provide a conducive environment.

The Matron of the orphanage, Madam Mary Wuntimah, who received the items on behalf of the children, highlighted the need to extend a lot of care and attention to children who through no fault of theirs, lack basic necessities.

“This kindness extended to the Children today is very profound and I use this opportunity to encourage families to support the upbringing of children and nurture them to impact our society”, she stated.

Leading the Access Bank employees to make the donation, the Executive Director for Operations and IT, Mr Kameel Adebayo commented:

“The statistics available currently show high infant mortality rate across the country and requires every effort to help combat it. Premature child birth causes a of lot stress to the baby and its mother and it is important to ensure survival of the baby as well as bring relief to the mother. This project aligns with our commitment to nurturing strong families through various initiatives, including the empowerment of key institutions such as hospitals to achieve this objective. We are happy to be change agents helping to make a difference.”

These projects are part of the Bank’s Employee Volunteering Programme, which allows staff to volunteer their time, expertise and other resources in areas where they are needed as well as support initiatives that add value to the communities in which the Bank operates.

Over the last six years, Access Bank has displayed a strong commitment to health, education, environment and social improvement issues by leveraging its people and financial resources to invest in various projects across the country.

This is in line with the Bank’s strategy of contributing to the long-term sustainable development within its markets of operations.

The Bank was recently recognised at the West African Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence Awards as “Best Bank in Corporate Social Responsibility”, an accolade that was also awarded to the Bank in 2014 and 2010 at the Ghana Banking Awards.